


Under the Bright Lights

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Eventual Smut, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: From a young age Beth dreamed about performing under the Big Top, but it didn't seem possible until she met Rio.Circus AU.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	Under the Bright Lights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [floweringrebel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/floweringrebel/gifts).



> A million years later, I'm finally posting this! Thanks for the fun idea, Heather ❤
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

Most little girls dreamed of becoming princesses or ballerinas, not Beth. Ever since she was seven and took her first family trip to the circus, she was mesmerized by the sights and sounds. It sounded impossible to join. There was no way she could learn how to juggle like they did or perform in front of thousands every night, so she gave up and settled on a more attainable goal. 

Beth went to culinary school with aspirations of opening her own restaurant. When that didn't pan out she started working at a hole in the wall cafe downtown, baking fresh cookies and cinnamon rolls for the morning rush. It paid her bills and that's what mattered. But there was always a part of her that wished she took matters into her own hands like Annie did.

Annie's fascination happened much later. It had to have been around her tenth birthday and by that time the circus was tradition. They went three times every loop. She took a liking to tarot cards and constantly tried to get her fortune read, but their parents wouldn't let her. At seventeen Annie dropped out of school and ran away to join the circus. She left a note on the refrigerator apologizing. At that moment Beth considered packing a bag and joining her on the road, but someone had to stay behind and take care of everything.

That's when Beth started going with Ruby. They went every other day to hang out with Annie on her breaks and sneak in her favorite snacks that she couldn't get elsewhere. Annie was happy there. Her fellow performers became family and Beth was grateful they looked out for her when she couldn't. The hard part was seeing Annie in person only twenty times a year.

Beth eagerly awaited the next Detroit stop. It was only a matter of time considering Annie's Instagram was once again filled with photos of Legoland and Minnehaha Falls. Soon posters would be hung in the cafe's windows and pole banners would line the streets. It was quite the sight to see.

Annie kept rambling on and on about the new danger acts. The promoters took a hard look at their talent and realized they needed to branch out and find new ways to draw in a younger audience. As luck would have it the Vasquez family were free agents. They were circus royalty, five generations of talent that lived and breathed the business. They easily signed with the company after a few negotiations to their contracts. 

"There's never been sword swallowers".

Annie attempted to show her a blurry video from a show over the webcam, "y'know what.. you have to see it with your own eyes".

"Ok, tomorrow. What was that?" Beth asked, hearing a loud bang over the phone. At first she thought they sped over a speed bump, it wouldn't have been the first time. She imagined living in a RV while traveling across the country created lasting memories.

"Helena hit her head on the freezer door again" she disappeared from view for a bit, leaving Beth to strain her eyes trying to pinpoint where they were at from the window. She had no luck, the cornfields could be anywhere. Annie returned and huffed, "have to dig out some peas".

Beth chuckled softly, "I'll call you later".

With a quick wave she disappeared and Beth was left to stare at her reflection in the screen. She placed her laptop on the desk and climbed into bed, taking a quick glance at the stack of tickets under her black rimmed reading glasses. Instead of three tickets she bought five. Taking extra time off work never hurt nobody. 

■ 2 days later ■

"Chocolate muffin".

Beth turned away from the cooling rack to catch Annie pressing her face against the display case. Some things never changed. It was always nice to hear her voice clearly without their calls breaking up whenever she drove under a tunnel.

"On the house. I missed you".

"Missed you more..... How's mom?".

Beth exhaled with a small laugh, deciding it was better to save that conversation for a later date. Their mom became almost bitter when Annie didn't return, believing that she had her fun on the road and it was now time to settle down and take life seriously. Beth couldn't blame her for limiting communication with them. Some days they were even too much for her.

Two tall, brunette twins in matching orange sundresses walked in and stood directly behind Annie. Beth gestured for her sister to step to the side so that she could take the next order, only to see Annie shake her head. "This is Elena and Helena, they work with me".

"We're contortionists".

" _Oh_ " Beth exclaimed, vaguely remembering them popping in on their chat a couple of months back. Unfortunately she had to wait fifteen minutes for her next break, but once the clock landed on twelve, she slid into the back booth to continue their conversation from earlier. "So, how long have you two performed?".

Elena was the one to answer, "thirteen years, but we've been on this circuit for three".

"And Helena's already got her eye on someone" Annie added, trying to liven up the conversation. Anything topped the long discussion on sandwiches she had to deal with while Beth finished up at the front. Maybe showing up at the cafe on a whim wasn't the smartest idea. It was one thing to live and work with the twins, it was another to hear the same story multiple times.

"It's not a crush. I'm planning to put my skills to good use".

It wasn't uncommon to seek comfort on the road, Annie herself had her fair share. There was Benjie who worked the balloon shoot, that lasted about two weeks. Then there was Eric with the handlebar mustache who ran a ring toss. It got a little messy when their booths were moved near each other, so she called it quits. Most recently was Krystal, an acrobat, but that was a one time deal.

A lot of singles preferred to dip their toes in the water and then work their way up to the more _popular_ people, but not Helena, she was charging full steam ahead at the circus' most prized employee. 

"His name is Rio. Don't roll your eyes at me, Elena. He's hot".

Rio was a fourth generation performer from the Vasquez family. He was the great- grandson of a carney, grandson of a clown and middle child of a stilt walker and gymnast. Both of his sisters were trapeze artists. He was a part of the so-called freakshow, a jack of all trades, doing everything from juggling bowling pins to throwing daggers.

Every show was different, the perks to being a main attraction. All the promoter wanted was for tickets to be sold and circus goers to be amazed. If Rio could do that, they'd let him do whatever the hell he pleased and he took advantage of that. There was no other family like them and that alone put butts in seats.

"He's not going to fuck you".

Annie laughed at the ongoing debate. Back at camp it would go on for hours until one of them walked away, usually stomping their feet in the process.

"Um, hello, he's gonna marry someone in the circus. I'm someone".

All it took was a quick YouTube search later that night to see _who_ this talk was about. The promoters were big into documentaries and had begun their own series of interviews with their performers. There was an entire playlist dedicated to the Vasquez family, several with views well over a thousand. 

Beth clicked into the first video that showed their arrival a little over a year ago. The fanfare alone when their vans pulled up made them seem like celebrities. There were three young children who followed behind the group, all enthusiastically waving to the crew. Annie didn't mention Rio having children, maybe they were his sister's kids. 

All of this, letting the series autoplay until she was ready for bed was for research. These acts were brand new, never shown in Detroit and Beth simply wanted to see where to hit first when the gates opened. 

■ Day 1 at the Circus ■

After months of waiting, opening day had arrived and Beth was excited not only to see Annie in action, but to stand around for hours watching the new and improved freakshow. For weeks posters hung in the cafe to advertise the new strongman act. The man apparently competed on a world level and joined when he retired from the sport, deciding to make a living in entertainment instead.

She threw on a pair of jeans and a stretched out light blue sweater, choosing comfort for the long day ahead. There was a chill in the air and leaves were changing colors, it really was her favorite time of the year. 

The circus ran for four hours. Performers would do small exhibitions or practices throughout the day, all building up to the final show. People from nearby cities would flock to Detroit to pile under the Big Top, hoping to see history be made. It happened once before. Just three years ago a man beat his personal record by riding a six foot unicycle. It now had 400,000 hits on YouTube and when Beth found herself missing the circus, it was one of the videos she searched for. It also helped that there was a playlist for awe inspiring moments.

The line was already wrapped around the corner by the time that Beth found a parking spot. Every minute she would take two or three steps, inching closer to the welcome sign. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, get there early so that they could have a front row seat to the action. The best part about the crowd was that there was no age limit, people both young and old enjoyed the spectacle. 

The employee at the gate took her ticket and handed back the stub. It doubled as a two dollar coupon for a large bag of popcorn. She usually gave it to Annie for her break since her booth sat across from the main concession stand. Beth rarely ate there and if she did, it was usually a pack of peanuts or a pretzel dog that Ruby encouraged her to try the year before. 

Once inside, Beth started to hear the circus theme overhead, blasting through the speakers so that it would be heard over the crowd's chatter. It didn't take her long to find Annie's section. There was a large yellow sign that read fortune telling and tarot card readings, making it easy for visitors to find the popular booths since they weren't listed elsewhere.

"Beth! Beth, over here".

She whipped her head back to see Annie waving her hands wildly above her head. It drew the attention of a few others around her and all she could do in return was press her lips together and force an awkward smile. 

Annie slouched in her chair in order to kick the other out from underneath the table, giving Beth a place to sit. She wanted to get to Beth before the lines got backed up. 

It was a single card reading since she knew Beth had other plans for the day. They would meet up afterwards for dinner and a movie anyways so it wasn't that big of a deal. 

Annie spread several cards across the table top and waited for Beth to pick one. Her finger hovered over one in the middle before tapping on the final card twice. 

When it was flipped over to reveal the sun in an upright position, Annie's mouth opened slightly in awe before she proceeded to explain the card for her sister. 

"Not only will a clear romantic path reveal itself today, but you'll be presented with a new job opportunity, seize it, it'll only bring you great success".

"Cool".

Annie rolled her eyes, "it's _way_ fucking cool. You hit the jackpot, baby girl".

Sensing that Beth was eager to check out the new acts, Annie wrapped it up by reshuffling the cards. 

They made a quick plan for when the circus packed up for the night, while the man who was next in line impatiently tapped his foot. She ignored the guy's nervous talk about bad fortunes, watching Beth head in the direction of the black arch separating the family friendly activities from the death defying ones, not that it stopped parents from bringing their kids along. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her _that_ was where the cards were leading Beth all along. It made her nervous. 

There was a divide between the daredevils and the more sociable ones. It had nothing to do with whether or not they liked each other's acts, but everything to do with their routines being life or death. The promotion had lost five members in the last ten years and while that didn't appear drastic, that was five too many and to the spouses who were left behind, everyone saw the toll it took on them mentally. 

No one knew what their future held or how long they would be able to work with this incredible group, but they all knew their chances of being killed on the job were lower just as long as they sat behind a booth.

There were lit up pathways and small tents for the performers to rest after their sets. In the distance Beth could make out the campgrounds full of RVs and tents the performers lived in for the duration of their stay. 

It didn't take long for Beth to find herself immersed in the show. Spectators were on either side of her, standing up on their tip toes and pushing into each other to get a peek at the action. 

To her left there was a woman eating fire. She must've been in her mid to late thirties and had a long burgundy dress with a yellow floral headband. Beth stepped off to the side, a good two feet from the crowd and watched between two taller men's heads. She raised the stick in the air to give everyone a chance to see the flames and feel the heat radiating off of it, and then closed her mouth around it without any hesitation. The crowd had the screaming covered for her. One woman even went as far as to offer the performer some of her water. Beth didn't understand why their mom dragged them away from the archway, there was nothing wrong with this place.

She might've spoken too soon because out of the corner of her eye she saw a man hanging horizontally from a bar, facing the ground while onlookers snapped pictures. There were four large metal clamps pulling on his skin. It made her nauseous. There was something for everyone but this wasn't for her. Beth rushed over to the back fence and took a series of deep breaths, trying to block out the cheers as the man was let down from the apparatuses. 

As she tried to regain her composure, the promoter, wearing a suit and black fedora began repeating, "come see Rio, the human dartboard, live in ten minutes" down the open path to inform everybody. 

"Human dartboard?" Beth uttered under her breath, but it was loud enough that an older, slightly hunchbacked man in red suspenders heard her.

"You haven't seen it before? That young man can handle a lot of pain".

Of course she heard Rio talk briefly about his family and what brought him to this particular circuit, but the footage of him performing was scarce. It was like he enjoyed the work more than the fame. Either that or he was camera shy and for some reason she had a hard time believing that. He was handsome and from the few shots she saw, he knew it.

Beth followed the crowd to Rio's back tent and got there early enough to stand up front. Her feet were mere inches from the wooden platform, one more step and she would've been on stage with him.

Rio was a head taller than the rest of his staff and had a neck tattoo, from where she was standing it appeared to be an eagle in flight. His laugh was infectious and Beth found herself fighting off a smile while he talked to the woman setting a dartboard up against the plain white wall. 

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Leyla and today I'll be helping my brother out" the woman said, addressing the growing crowd for the first time. _His sister._

Beth took a quick glance around her and saw that the crowd had grown from a dozen or so to a couple hundred. Leyla continued on, "we're going to need three volunteers. Don't be shy, raise your hands".

Beth could feel someone's eyes on her and it wasn't until she looked over at Rio that she found the culprit. He was off to the side with headphones on and could've easily spaced off in her direction. For some reason Beth wanted to know for sure so she waved at him. Nobody, not even his sister, missed the small smile that tugged on his lips when he waved back to her. Beth flushed and looked down at the freshly mown grass. _Shit, shit, shit._

Rio stepped forward, "We need one more volunteer, c'mon just one".

Within seconds Beth raised her hand high. She looked up from the ground and caught an unrecognizable look on his face. His teeth were dragging over his bottom lip while his eyes looked her over. 

"Was hopin you would".

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading and for any comments/kudos you may leave!
> 
> Tumblr: xstrawmari


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